Colleen Torgerson

Increasing Verbal Behavior of a Student Who Is Selectively Mute

Selective mutism is the term used to describe a disorder in which a person speaks only in restricted stimulus situations. Examination of single-subject research concerning selective mutism reveals the most popular and successful interventions to instate speech involve a combination of behavior modification procedures. The present research utilized exclusively positive reinforcement with fading of prompts to increase the verbal communication of a selectively mute 12-year-old, sixth-grade boy. The treatment increased the students verbal communication with three adults in three different settings.

Developing Student Competence in Self-Directed IEPs.

Self-directed Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) allow students to assume leadership and become actively involved in the decisions made at their IEP meetings. This article describes how through direct instruction, social skills discussion, active practice, and role-playing students are prepared to facilitate their meeting. This active participation encourages empowerment and ownership by the student. Teacher attitude and support are critical to the success of the process. This training is an important tool in assisting teachers to promote their students to become self-advocates in their postsecondary decisions and responsibilities.

The NCTQ Selectivity Standard and Principal Evaluation of Teacher Preparation

ABSTRACT Ratings published by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) require selectivity in admission to educator preparation programs. NCTQ provides a list of citations to support the selectivity standard termed “strong support.” A review of each citation in the list found little or no support for the standard. Original data was collected examining employment supervisor ratings of over 11,000 teachers’ preparation and analyzed for correlations and differences based on the selectivity standard. No significant differences were found between supervisor ratings of teachers who met or did not meet the NCTQ test standard and no significant correlations were found between the selectivity tests, grade point average, and principal ratings of teachers. These findings bring into question the listed selectivity standard and the rationale for its inclusion in NCTQs public ranking process.

Evaluating the effectiveness of e-learning in teacher preparation

Teacher education struggles with the challenge of preparing and retaining high-quality teachers who can work effectively with all students. While educator preparation is a strong correlate of student achievement, traditional university-based programmes are not available to all potential teachers. This manuscript describes CalStateTEACH, an online teaching credential programme operated by the California State University system, and reports data on its efficacy as compared to traditional, campus-based programmes. The independent variable was the pathway used by each teacher, and the dependent variables were the ratings of preparation by programme graduates at the end of their first year of professional teaching and those of their employment supervisors. Mean ratings by CalStateTEACH graduates were significantly higher on 16 of the 17 scales. There were differences in supervisor ratings but none was significant. Results add to the knowledge base of effective e-learning in higher education and suggestions for practice are presented.